Petition of James McConnaughty to Congress

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[Read in Congress 12th November, 1776: Referred to the Board of War.]

To the honourable the Continental Congress of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:

The humble Petition of JAMES MCCONNAUGHY, most humbly showeth:

That your petitioner purchased from Captain William Keith a servant man named John Scollay, who had three, years and six months to serve, but found means afterwards to make his escape, much to your petitioner' s loss. Your petitioner having reposed too much confidence in him, (he is an artful fellow, and made himself tolerable well acquainted with the country, and a dangerous person to our present cause,) he inlisted in the Twenty-Sixth Regiment of Regulars, then in New-Jersey, was taken prisoner at St˙ John' s, in Canada, and is now confined as a prisoner of war in the barracks at Lancaster. Your petitioner has been already at a considerable expense and loss of time in defence of American liberty. Therefore humbly prays your Honours will be pleased to grant him an order to obtain his servant again. And your petitioner, as in duty bound, will pray.

JAS˙ McCONNAUGHY.